1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to measurement systems for crash test dummies and, more specifically, to a hip joint measurement system and ankle joint measurement system for a crash test dummy.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is known to provide a crash test dummy for evaluating occupant performance and occupant restraint system performance in an impact of a vehicle such as an automotive vehicle. The crash test dummy may resemble a 50th percentile male and typically includes a head, torso, arms, and legs. The crash test dummy also typically includes shoulder, elbow, and wrist joints. The crash test dummy further typically includes hip, knee, and ankle joints.
It is found that the crash test dummy does not have the measurement capabilities at the shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip, knee, and ankle joints to capture the 3-D kinematics of the crash test dummy. As a result, it is desirable to provide a measurement system to collect data from these regions of the crash test dummy.
It is known that ball joint rotation can be measured in a number of ways, for example, using a computer mouse and joystick. However, none of these devices and methods provides sufficient accuracy, speed, and dynamic response in a crash test environment and the size of that instrumentation cannot be packaged inside a hip joint or ankle joint without compromising performance. As a result, there is a need in the art to provide a hip joint measurement system and ankle joint measurement system for a crash test dummy.